Hoist leveling device for removing and reinstalling engines and the like



June 20, 1961 R. A. BRUTSCHER, sR.. ETAL 2,989,287

HOIST LEVEL-ING DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND REINSTALLING ENGINES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 276.1 5 fi 5 L 5 4U INVENTORS IL/WW EVFVS '4. 5e 07' 5 67/632,512.

June 20, 1961 R. A. BRUTSCHER, SR., ETAL HOIST LEVELING DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND REINSTALLING ENGINES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 26, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO S ZUFl/S A eeursa/ ssse E FUS A 521175671458, (/2.

Patented June 20, 1961 2,989,287 HOIST- LEVELING DEVICE FOR REMOVING AND REINSTALLING ENGINES AND THE LIKE Rufus A. Brutscher, Sn, and Rufus A. Brutseher, Jr.,

both of 440 SW. Emigrant, Pendleton, Oreg. Filed Jan. 26, 1959, Ser. No. 789,047 4 Claims. (Cl. 254167) This invention relates to hoist leveling mechanisms, and 'it more particularly relates to hoist leveling mechanisms adapted to remove and reinstall an engine into the body of an automobile.

As is Well known to those skilled in the art, space is an important aspect in the modern automobile and this space must be utilized to its fullest extent. Consequently, the various parts of the drive mechanism are provided with only just the amount of space necessary for them to 'fit snugly in place. The resultant crowded conditions make it extremely diflicult to remove and replace such parts because of the cramped conditions in which the worker must operate.

For the above reasons, it involves a difficult and complex task to insert an engine into a car and to place it in just the right position so that its shaft can match the spline gear on the transmission of a standard transmission car or so that its attachment holes can match the holes on the flywheel and plate of an automatic transmission car. This requires delicate adjustments in the most cramped of quarters.

Various methods for inserting automobile engines have heretofore 'been used, such methods involving the use of both underlying jacks or overlying hoists; however, none of these prior methods and mechanisms have been adequately effective and, at the same time, sufliciently easy to use.

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the above and other prior difiiculties and disadvantages by providing a hoist leveling mechanism which is extremely effective for removing andreinstalling and leveling automobile "engines, while it is,- at theisame'time, very simple to set up and use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hoist leveling mechanism, of the aforesaid type, which consists of relatively few parts and is therefore not sub ject to easy and expensive disrepair.

Another object of-the present invention is to provide a hoist leveling mechanism, of the aforesaid type, which is adjustable for engines of various sizes.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improved hoist leveling mechanism, of the character described, that is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which is highly efficient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a hoist leveling mechanism embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1, and showing the clutch unlocked.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1, but showing the clutch locked.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 1.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, there is shown a hoist leveling mechanism, generally designated 10, comprising a pair of plates 12 and 14 mounted on a hanger 16 of generally inverted U-shape (as best seen in FIG. 4). This hanger 16 is connected to the plates 12 and 14 by means of bolts or pins 18 extending through spacer sleeves 20 and held in place by nuts 22. This hanger 16 is adapted to form an eyelet to receive the hook 24 of a hoist chain 26 (as indicated in FIG. 1).

The plates 12 and 14 form a housing in which is provided the hoist leveling drive means. These plates 12 and 14 are secured together not only by the aforementioned pins 18 and spacer sleeves 20, which serve the dual function of securing the plates 12 and 14 to each other as well as to the hanger 16, but also by a pin or bolt 26 extending through a spacer sleeve 28 at both the lower ends of the plates and secured in position by a nut 30.

Connected to the outer surface of plate 12 is a bearing sleeve 32 having a flange 34, the flange 34 being secured to the plate 12 by means of a screw 36. The bearing sleeve 32 is centrally bored to permit passage therethrough of a shaft 38. This shaft 38 projects out from sleeve 32 at one end and this projecting portion is connected to a rod 40 by means of a pin or bolt 42 releasably positioned in mating slots in the shaft 38 and in a socket portion 44 of the rod 40. The lower end of rod 40 is also provided with a socket portion 46 through which extends a pin or bolt 48 secured in place by a nut 50. This pin 48 supports an externally-knurled sleeve 52 held in position by a flange 54 of the pin 48 received within an internal recess 56 of the sleeve 52, and by a screw 58 extending into the free end of the pin 48 through a Washer 60. A guard collar 62 surrounds the bearing sleeve 32 (as best shown in FIG. 4). This entire assemb=ly constitutes a handle crank 63.

The inner end of shaft 38 is reduced, as at 64, and extends through an aperture in the plate 12. At its inner end, the reduced shaft portion 64 is provided with a pinion 66. The pinion 66 is in mesh with an internal gear 68, secured by studs 69 on a gear ring 70 mounted on one face of a sprocket 72 by means of bolts 74 and nuts 76.

The sprocket 72 is mounted on a rotatable shaft 78. This shaft 78 has a reduced portion 80 at one end rotata bly journaled withinabearing assembly 82 in a cup 84-.

positioned on the plate 12. The opposite end of the shaft 78 is also reduced, as at 86, and is journaled through a bearing assembly 88 held in a cup 90. The cup 90 is secured in plate 14 between a spacer plate 92 and a friction brake plate 94.

The reduced portion 86 of shaft 78 is threaded at its free end, as at 96, and on this threaded end is positioned a sleeve 98 which is internally threaded to engage with the threaded portion 96. This sleeve 98 serves as a locking brake (as will hereinafter be more fully explained). The sleeve or brake 98 is furthermore provided with an externally knurled knob 100.

The reduced shaft portion 86 is also provided with a threaded bore at its free end, this bore terminating in a counterbore or recess 102 in the knob having a recess shoulder face 103. A stud bolt 104 is threadedly engaged in this bore and holds an outer friction brake plate 106 in the recess 102.

Extending over the sprocket 72 is a sprocket leveling chain 108 having a ring 110 at each end. Connected to each ring 110 are the ends of two link chains 112 connected, as at 114, to brackets 116 on an engine 118. A hook 120 is provided at the lower end of each chain 112 so that if it is desired to shorten the chains to any length desired, it is merely necessary to bend up the chain and engage the hook 120 with the link of the chain corresponding to the length desired.

In operation, with the hoist attached to the engine (as shown in FIG. 1), the handle crank 63 is used to turn the pinion 66. This operates, through gear 68, to turn the sprocket 72 to move the chain 108 in one direction or the other. The position of the chain 108 determines the angle at which the engine 118 is held. With the engine at this selected angle, the hoist chain 26 is operated to raise or lower the engine as desired. When it appears that the angle of the engine must be adjusted, this is accomplished while the engine is hanging on the hoist merely by turning the handle crank 63. This adjustment can be easily made as often as necessary so that the enginge can thereby be smoothly and easily lowered into the exact position desired.

The above operation presupposes that the sleeve or locking brake 98 is in unlocked position (as in FIG. 3) against outer brake plate 106. If it is in locked position (as in FIG. 4), where it is threadedly tightened on shaft portion 86 to such an extent that its end frictionally engages the inner brake plate 94, no rotatable movement of the shaft 78 and therefore of the sprocket 72 is possible. This locked position is used when the chain 108 has been adjusted to the desired angle. The locking action of the brake 98 thereafter securely holds the hoist chain 108 in this selected angmlar position. However, when it is desired to change the angle, the knob 100 is turned to move the end of brake sleeve 98 away from the inner brake plate 94 and into frictional contact with outer brake plate 106. The brake is thereby frictionally retained in this released or unlocked position. The frictional engagement between outer clutch plate 106 and the shoulder face 103 within recess 102 of brake sleeve 98, when brake handle knob 100 is threaded outwardly to its maximum extent as shown in FIG. 3, prevents the brake sleeve 98 from being inadvertently moved against plate 94 while the handle 63 is being turned to move the chain 108 to the desired position.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of this invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A hoist leveling device for removing and reinstalling engines and the like comprising a housing having a first plate and a second plate connected in spaced parallel relationship, a drive shaft positioned between said plates and having an externally threaded end portion projecting beyond said second plate, a manually operable handle crank rotatably journaled through said first plate, a pinion connected to said handle crank and rotatable therewith, said pinion being positioned between said plates, a gear in mesh with said pinion, a toothed sprocket secured on said drive shaft between said plates, a gear ring securing said toothed sprocket to said gear, a leveling sprocket chain extending over said toothed sprocket, attaching means at each end of said leveling chain, and a locking brake sleeve on said externally threaded end portion of said drive shaft, a locking brake plate fixed to said housing second plate, said locking brake sleeve being internally threaded to engage with the threads on said end portion to provide longitudinal movement of said sleeve on said end portion toward and from a frictional engagement locking position with said locking brake plate to prevent rotation of said drive shaft, and selectively operable means to retain said brake sleeve away from said locking position comprising a second locking brake plate secured to the free end of said end portion of said drive shaft.

2. The hoist leveling device of claim 1 wherein said brake sleeve is provided with a manually operable knob.

3. The hoist leveling device of claim 1 wherein a hanger is connected between said plates by releasable connecting means.

4. The hoist leveling device of claim 1 wherein the attaching means at both ends of said leveling sprocket chain are connected to a pair of holding link chains extending transversely to said leveling sprocket chain, a bracket at the end of each link chain adapted to be connected to an engine in lifting position relative thereto and a link chain length adjusting hook on each said bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,177,767 Eggleston Apr. 4, 1916 1,952,728 Rathbun Mar. 27, 1934 2,454,590 Berlinger Nov. 23, 1948 2,521,191 Stanland Sept. 5, 1950 2,596,502 Moore May 13, 1952 2,626,763 Dunno'ck Jan. 27, 1953 2,747,838 Riemann May 29, 1956 

